tearsthesky:

[ Hearing the male speak to her, she crossed her arms over her chest and chuckled. The feeling of his hand patting her shoulder caused a quiet ‘huff’ to escape her lips while trying to shake out the confused expression she had across her face. How long has it been since she’s last seen him? Could have been weeks, months, or maybe even years. She didn’t know. ]

Snow.

[ She shot back at him, smiling. It was nice to see old friends again, she’d admit to herself — but it was the thought of what she missed that made her want to question. And that outfit. No hat? ]

Nice to see you’re one with the birds, aye? Guessin’ the rides down in Gran Pulse really got to ya.

[ She teased, referring to his new hairstyle. ]

Don’t know how long I’ve been awake, honestly. Probably about a week now?

Hey, hey. Calling me a moron and then taking a stab at the hair? C’mon, give a guy a break.

/ A chuckle escaped him after having paused briefly at first to apprehend what exactly she had been referring to. Although it may seem obvious to others, he’s never made the connection between his hairdo and a chocobo’s head… or at least until now. -

Chocobos are useful creatures, y’know. Besides, I definitely pull off this look.

/ Snow jested in return, a cocky smirk tugging at his lips. The look came about mostly out of convenience – longer hair being easier to simply slick back rather than tie down with a bandana. -

A week you say… well, it’s good to have you back.

/ To think he saw her immersed in crystal when he had visited just a couple weeks prior; it was a bit surreal, to say the least. -

(And if Fang’s out, that would mean…)

/ He paused as cerulean eyes surveyed the area for a splotch of orange coupled with an infectiously cheery visage. -

So where’s my other favorite Oerban? She can’t be far if you’re here.

.

tearsthesky:

[ An eyebrow raised in curiosity, studying the brand new faces that stood before her. Looks like people found her and decided to stick around. Rare. But, she was grateful nonetheless. A simple wave of her hand, followed by a grin — the Pulsian scoffed. ]

Well, well. Who do we have here? If you’re lookin’ for someone to babysit, you got the wrong gal. I don’t take morons under my wing, got it?

[ She eyed one of the familiar faces. Of course he would be here. She chuckled quietly to herself. ]

This includes you, hero.

I hope you’re not calling me a moron right now.

-/ His tone suggested he was offended by the notion yet the bright smile sewn into his lips told otherwise. -

Fang.

-/ Approaching the wild haired Oerban, he gave a friendly clap to her shoulder; half to reassure himself she wasn’t a hallucination and half out of relief. He laughed lightly. -

I knew some crystal wouldn’t keep you down, but honestly I didn’t expect to see you back so soon. How long have you been awake?

This is overdue but here’s thanks to those who have recently followed me/followed me back! I’m pretty slow when it comes to replies and such, but I’m always willing to strike up a conversation or roleplay. If anyone would like to writer a starter or have me write them one then hit me up in my ask. I also love to plot so if you’re up to roleplaying certain scenarios or get some interesting character development in, I’m always free. I might not post/talk much but don’t let that deter you. Once again, thanks for the follows!

defier-of-fate:

Lowering her gaze, Lightning merely let out a quiet grunt in response as the brawler closed his eyes. As much as it pains her to agree with Snow, he was right; Lightning may have the stamina of two men, but nevertheless, she was still human. “I’ll be sure to,” she murmured, lifting her gaze only to find the large man sleeping.
Letting out a light scoff, she carefully settled down on the ground.

Several hours pass and the roseate-haired woman found fatigue weighing down upon her. Her lids drooped, closing every once in a while before snapping open. It was strange, incredibly uncharacteristic even, for her to “sleep on the job”. Lightning isn’t one who left any room for carelessness, and yet still…
Forcing her eyes open once more, she gave the area one last sweep before settling against the metallic wall.

A couple minutes of rest wouldn’t hurt…

… But she did not find any rest. Images of the past she still fears flashed in her subconscious like a flare. Dreams of the Purge creating chaos at their very front door. Memories of flames swallowing everything they touched while the ground was strewn with the corpses with familiar faces. Her sister being stolen away by the very entity that started it all… Her sister being branded; a l’Cie, that is doomed to the fate of a Cie’th…

“Serah!”

Jolting up with cold sweat collecting at her brow, the freelancer worked to slow her manic breathing as she grasped the reality before her. Crystalline blue eyes flickered mindlessly towards the brawler before Lightning ran a gloved palm over her face, not minding the rough leather scratching her face. A dream… only a dream… she mentally repeated until it became a mantra burned into her mind.

Even then, her nerves were raw; more raw than she’d like it to be. And if there was one thing she hated, it was to lose her head during the times where she cannot afford to. Desperately seeking an escape to take the edge off her mind, she abruptly stood up. Walking away from the campsite, she was barely aware of Snow, who was more than likely awake from her sudden outburst. Anxious hands grasped tightly on the hilt of her gunblade before she flicked the weapon into a sword as she continued to let her legs lead her away. It was until she knew she was a safe distance from unwanted company, did she let her cool, composed façade break.

Frustration flowed through her veins freely, without the restriction of rationality, as she swung her gunblade at the unfortunate tree that happened to obstruct her path. Releasing her angst with every slash, she hacked at the bark until it was riddled with deep furrows and dents before stopping suddenly to lean against the damaged trunk wearily.

For the next several hours the brawler’s consciousness tittered back and forth on the line of being awake or asleep. His periods of sleep lasted no longer than ten minutes at a time, causing dreams to carry over into his thoughts and vice versa. The endless cycle seemed to tumble back and forth endlessly, only to be broken as the subject of his thoughts pierced the still air in a sharp, unexpected cry.

The wisps of sleep that had clouded his mind dissipated in less than a second as surprise swiftly filled its place. Lids flew open as his burly body tensed up reflexively; senses instantly tuning themselves for any sign of danger or a foreign presence. But what his attention narrowed in on was not the rustling of foliage or the vicious call of a Pulse predator – it was the heavy, fast paced breathing of the older Farron.

“Serah!”

A brief spell of silence dragged on as he came down from his alert state and the clamor that shocked him out of slumber replayed itself in his mind. The brawler was well aware that underneath her stoic exterior Lightning was just as, if not more troubled as he was over Serah’s disappearance. Even though he failed to see it at first, her action of jumping head first into the purge despite being exempt was proof enough of her dedication for her sole sibling. Yet perhaps she was more disturbed than he had originally assumed – and that raw note of fear in her voice…

Observations were interrupted by the sound of stirring grass and light footsteps, leading the self-proclaimed hero to finally prop his upper body up with a gloved hand to the ground as he angled his sights to the receding figure of the ex-sergeant. Lips creased into a frown as evident concern was engraved across his visage, cerulean eyes never leaving the soldier until she was virtually out of sight.

It took a moment for Snow to recollect himself from his blank state, but when he did there was no questioning what he decided to do next. ‘Follow her.’ His conscience instructed the rest of him and his body easily complied; rising heavily off the ground as he pointed himself in the direction she had wandered off to.

The first step he took was hesitant as he swiftly realized that she most likely walked away to get away from him – to get away from having to show any signs of weakness. She may not like him or want him as company but seeing they were tied together by circumstance, he was her only option at the moment. Steps grew confident and determined as he reassured himself of his choice. No one really wanted to be alone at a time like this.

Sounds of metal ripping away at wood greeted the tall man’s ears, revealing the location of the distraught gunblader as he wandered. The noises slowly came to a halt when he rounded on the scene, a hand briefly extending out to touch a tree as he peered out. “Lightning…?” His voice called out obscurely as his barely discerned the figure leaning against a torn trunk just ahead – the leaves and branches overhead serving to shadow her from the moon’s illumination and his concerned gaze.

Several weighted footfalls offered as an alert to his presence as he took a couple slow, large strides forward, the brawler managing to keep a respectable distance away before coming to a stop. Gloved digits clenched tightly and then unfurled once again to relieve his anxiety, bright eyes searching the darkness for her’s. “…Are you okay?”

defier-of-fate:

Though Snow was not her ideal traveling companion, he was possibly the only one who could keep up with the soldier’s swift pace. Allowing the faintest look of contentment to settle upon her features, she leaned back against the rusted metal scrap behind her before fixing her gaze upon darkening sky as the first night star began to shine. “You should still get some sleep,” she said in a voice barely above murmur, “Rest will help if we’re aiming to cover more ground than we had today.”

If they want to have any chance at finding her missing sister, their condition and stamina are going to have to stay at its peak; rest is imperative.

Nodding mutely once in agreement, Snow shifted forward off the rock till he was able to lie down completely. “…Wake me up for my shift. You need your sleep too, after all.” He stated with a faint grin lingering on his dry lips – though the pointless reminder was most likely lost on the focused ex-sergeant. The two might not always see eye to eye on things, but he could always count on Lightning to know what she was doing.

With one gloved hand tucked securely underneath his head, he rolled onto his side so his back was facing the other. Despite his best efforts, Snow’s mind began to slowly spiral into the pensive state he had been dodging up until now. Neither the night sky nor the calming chorus of Pulse nightlife could quell his thoughts. So as lids concealed bright blue eyes from the world, he waited for sleep to force itself upon him.

—

defier-of-fate:

Unsheathing her gunblade, Lightning kept it in its gun-mode as she remained vigilant for any possible threats. Despite not being a huge fan of trekking through the wilderness of Gran Pulse, it did have its highlights. The solitude the remote areas provided gave her time to think, to sort out the thoughts that couldn’t be organized in the midst of the public noise. Or at least, that was an idealized wish of hers as it seemed like Snow did not plan to leave her alone with her thoughts.

Might as well answer…

Pale eyes idly flickered to the large man’s direction holding his gaze for a moment before the ex-sergeant finally replied in a tone of disinterest, “Not really. I’ve been working as a freelancer of sorts. Guess you can say that it’s similar to working as a mercenary.”

Originally planning to lapse into silence, the freelancer found herself somewhat concerned about the brawler’s well-being. After all, he had left New Bodhum for a year. She was well aware that Snow was able to press forth even under harsh circumstances, but even so, she couldn’t help but wonder if this new expedition is taking a toll on him. Lips parted briefly as she hesitated for a fraction of a second before asking; the words left her lips more awkwardly than she’d have liked, “How are you doing? You looked like you were ready to fall over when you returned…”

To hear that the ex-sergeant was now working as a freelancer did not come off as a surprise. On the contrary, the title dressed the pink haired warrior well considering her spirit was one akin to a valkyrie. Although at one point he had assumed she would rejoin the ranks of the Guardian Corp if the opportunity arose – or at least until she wordlessly vanished.

Maybe it has to do with Serah…

The idea of the younger Farron having something to do with her decision to become a freelancer was plausible, for New Bodhum lacked a GC branch. Rejoining would therefore also mean relocating and ultimately leaving her only family behind. There was always the option of NORA, but the thought of the independent soldier joining the group of misfits seemed so improbable that the blond unintentionally began to smile.

Drawn out of his brief reverie to find that his gaze had drifted to the Pulse floor, he catered his attention back to Lightning as he processed her query. “I’m holding up.” He quickly assured her with his habitual easy-going grin; the blond somewhat moved to hear her express concern over his well being. “Sleeping at home for the first time in awhile was enough to reenergize me.” Not that he was willing to rest up knowing that this time his fiancée was the one who had disappeared – though he probably needed all the rest he could get.

Because he had been traveling alone for the past year, Snow was accountable to no one but himself. It wasn’t hard to believe that the overconfident brawler managed to push himself past his limits on numerous occasions; this past week being one of those occasions. He might not admit it out loud, but he could do well with more sleep.